Do your parents need more help these days? A lot of adult children have a hard time trying to take care of all the needs of their senior parents with all of the responsibilities they have to care for – like making a living.
One option for seniors is adult day care. You might think, though, this type of service is out of reach for you and your family financially. However, day care for seniors is actually more affordable than you may think.
In fact, some claim it’s one of the most economical ways for adult children to provide care for their senior parents.
Is Adult Day Care Really Affordable?
The short answer is yes – the services of an adult day care center can be extremely affordable. In fact, the elderly day care industry provided care to over 260,000 seniors in 2010. This is 100,000 more than was reported back in 2002. And the numbers continue to rise.
Thankfully, senior benefits entities are taking notice of the importance of these types of services. Seniors can get financial aid to go to a day care for the elderly from the following sources.
1. Assistance from Medicaid
Most U.S. seniors have Medicare and they think they have coverage for day care services. Actually, Medicare doesn’t cover these services. Medicaid, on the other hand, does pay for this.
As an alternative to nursing home care, Medicaid covers Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers (HCBS Medicaid waiver). These waivers cover day care and transportation services.
Unfortunately, there is usually a waiting list for these waivers. However, your Medicaid State Plan may provide funding for day care services while you wait for a HCBS waiver.
2. Veterans Pensions
If you’re a veteran, you can receive funding from certain VA pensions. VHA Medical Benefits only cover in-home day care. But the Aid & Attendance pension covers day care services as well as in-home health care. Depending on eligibility and restrictions, you may have to pay a co-payment for these services.
Another VA option is the Veterans Directed Care. This type of program allows veterans to decide how they will utilize the funds they receive. This means you can put these funds toward care at a day care facility.
3. Non-Medicaid State Assistance
Many people are fighting for state assistance for day care for the elderly. They see the immense benefits of these services and think the state should do more for seniors, instead of just have them rely on Medicaid for these funds.
And many state legislators are listening. They, too, realize the importance of helping seniors stay independent and preventing/delaying a move into a nursing facility.
Day care services provide care and supervision to all seniors but have been especially helpful to those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
To find out if your state provides this type of assistance, you can contact us or the Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
What Seniors Get to Experience at an Adult Day Care Center
Should you or a loved one take advantage of day care for the elderly? Definitely – there are so many benefits of utilizing these services.
The social interaction is one of the main benefits of this. So many of our seniors are dealing with depression and loneliness, but when they get regular association with other seniors, they feel so much happier.
The services seniors receive while at our facility include:
- Snacks and meals
- Therapy programs
- Exercise
And the benefits don’t stop with the seniors who receive them. These day care services benefit caretakers – providing them with much needed and well-deserved breaks.
Choosing the Best Elderly Day Care Center for Your Senior Loved Ones
Does elderly day care seem more affordable now you know the facts? If so, the next step you should take is to find the best adult day care center for your parents or other senior loved ones.
Our seniors are an important part of our community and culture. At Skylark Senior Care, we view it as our privilege to provide in-home care as well as day care for the elderly. We hope you will let us help you provide care for those you treasure – your senior family members.
If you’d like more information about Skylark Senior Care’s adult day care program or the various options you have to pay for it, please call us. We look forward to showing you how affordable day care really is!
